Switching On the Sun

Where is Baguio headed? Barely a month after the recent election, what now, Baguio? Where to? Towards modernization? Through traffic via a “one-passenger oversized carbon footprint-marking gas-guzzler batmobile”? Just going around Gotham? To the bat cave! “To the bat cave!” While that may sound like a call to rather go back in time, primitive times that is, it’s actually a reference to that of Bruce Wayne’s alter ego’s “hi-tech” means to plan and address hard-pressing issues… “Bahala na si Batman” is also another referential undertone for a probable course of action. If so, in that “bat cave” as to the “mapping out” where Baguio is headed, does that make us like Alfred the butler or like the “minding-their-own-thing cave-dwelling bats” and rather leave it to Batman? And Batman be like, either he’d be the “incognito dark knight” in all its alter ego form or simply be “Bat-Man” or the “man for the bats” in reference to “people-person (being a man for the people) ”. Coincidentally, “Bat...

During the midterm elections, from the campaign period leading up to the results, it showed Baguio’s collective judgment flawed with speculative pronouncements against opposing parties. As if they don’t know the truth given Baguio’s demographics and its once neighborly setting. It’s laughable and at the same time a bit aggravating how despite “receipts” of negative campaigning through varied measures and manifestos and through their “propagandists”, they have the audacity to refute such (dis)course of action. They’re rather claiming the decency of a conscientious campaign strategy. From grammatically-challenged trolls to celebrated figures, the most dangerous promoter/endorser is one who weighs-in their argumentation through an “overweening rhetoric”. It’s because it takes advantage of the naive and uneducated rank’s gullibility. But then again, is that a calculated scheme considering numbers have time-and-again substantiated how thinking voters are totally outnumbered… Do they think w...

  A looming political dynasty in Baguio has been staved off. However, about 18K, give or take, from that of congressional bet Sol Go’s votes thought it was ok. That’s around 20K+ short of her husband’s mayoralty votes. Apparently, that 20K+ discrepancy for a number of voters probably thought that at least one of the two Gos getting any of the local’s two highest seats would be fine. That actually says a lot about the Go couple’s out of sync supporters; for if they truly believe in the would-have-been Baguio’s first ever husband and wife elected tandem, their respective votes should have been in sync. Needless to say, even their supporters didn’t agree with the political dynasty they themselves tried to justify. Were (or are) they really “maka-Baguio” to begin with given how they enabled the inherent byproduct of such likely centralization of political influence. That’s something true-blue “maka-Baguio” people do not actually condone. Or is it? Or do we, Baguio peeps? Or was it re...

Relative to Mayor Magalong’s “nobody gets left behind” flag raising ceremony speech is the essence of his ‘An Officer and Gentleman’ demeanor being applied for that of the welfare of Baguio. True to how he leads by example, members (city officials regardless of political affiliation and the public alike) are acknowledged as key figures in communally making Baguio a better place. Rather than solely capitalizing on a possible self-serving moment of extolling in glory, he offered such privilege among the councilors (and even to Congressman Mark Go). It’s some means to likewise share not just their thoughts but an equal opportunity for varied “voices to be heard” if only to manifest how to respect and balance society’s multifaceted representation essential in according Baguio a more unified nature and outlook towards ‘one Baguio’. With substantial mileage gaining national attention gauged in high regard, Mayor Isko Moreno is apparently bringing back his city’s glory from where he’s simi...